Eight-legged letter

A type of Chinese literary style. It is a special style of writing imposed on the Ming and Qing dynasties' imperial examinations (a system for the qualification of high-ranking officials). The original purpose of the format was to use one or two or several phrases from the Four Books or Five Classics as the subject of the exam, and to expand on their meanings in place of the ancients. It was first used in the township examinations on August 9, 1370 (Hongwu 3), and plagued the educated classes until it was abolished in 1901 (Guangxu 27). At first, there were no special regulations for the method of questions or the style of the writing, but in the "Imperial Examination Entrance Ceremony" (also called the Imperial Examination Ceremony) promulgated in March 1384, the source books were specified, such as the Annotated Commentary on Zhu Xi for the Four Books and the Yizhuan and Zhu Xi's Essential Meaning for the Book of Changes. During the Yongle period (1403-24), the "Four Books and Five Classics Complete Works" came to be used primarily, and the interpretation of the scriptures was unified. As a result, the style of the text gradually solidified, and after the 1487 (23rd year of the Chenghua era) examination, the text was composed of the following sections: break, follow, introduction, introduction, introduction, opening, empty, middle, end, and conclusion. The opening, empty, middle, and end parts consist of unique long couplets, which seem to set up eight pillars, and thus the name "eight-legged text" was born. "Legs" means contrapositive. Since the text is based on the meaning of the designated scripture, it is also called "jingyi" or "ruiyi". After the mid-Ming period, many reference books for eight-legged text were created, and examinees began to memorize the example sentences to compose their sentences, so the text lost its value as a reference. During the Qing period, the harmful effects of the imperial examination were debated, and the examination was abolished in 1901.

[Terutoshi Yokota]

"Yokota Terutoshi's "Eight-Legged Writing" (included in Suzuki Shuji et al., eds., Chinese Culture Series 4, Introduction to Literature, 1967, Taishukan Shoten)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の文体の一種。明(みん)・清(しん)代の科挙(かきょ)（高級官吏資格試験制度）に課した特別の形式の文章で、四書・五経の一、二句あるいは数句を題として、古人に成り代わってその意味を敷衍(ふえん)することが制定当初の趣旨であった。1370年（洪武3）8月9日の郷試(きょうし)に初めて採用してから1901年（光緒27）に廃止されるまで、知識階級を悩ませた。初めは出題方法や文章の形式に特別の規定はなかったが、1384年3月に公布した「科挙成式」（科挙定式ともいう）に、四書は『朱子(しゅし)』の集注(しっちゅう)、『易経』は『程氏易伝』と『朱子本義』のように、それぞれ根拠とする書物が指定された。永楽(えいらく)年間（1403～24）には『四書五経大全』を主として使うようになり、経文の解釈は一本化した。その結果として文章形式がしだいに固まって、1487年（成化23）の会試以後は、破題、承題、起講、入題、起股、虚股、中股、後股、結束の部分から構成されるようになった。その起・虚・中・後の股は独特の長い対句からなり、それが8本の柱を立てたようなので八股文の名称が生まれた。「股」は対偶の意。指定された経書の意味を基にして文をつくるという立場から、経義、制義の名称もある。明の中期以後には八股文の参考書が多くつくられ、受験生はその例文の字句を暗記して文章をつくるようになって、資料としての価値がなくなり、清代に科挙の弊害が議論され、1901年に廃止された。

［横田輝俊］

『横田輝俊著『八股文』（鈴木修次他編『中国文化叢書4　文学概論』所収・1967・大修館書店）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例